Hatstalls
by AlexDayLover
Summary: The Sorting Hat's experiences with various students over the years, who give him some interesting thoughts. No slash, just some nice drabbles.
1. Prologue - Prudence Chestnut

**Hello everybody! This will be a series of one-shots about the Sorting Hat and all those students known as Hatstalls who made the Hat think longer than ten seconds. Most of them will be OC's, but there will be a few ones you'll recognize, like Minerva McGonagall and eventually Harry Potter. I'm not sure how long this will be, I guess until I run out of ideas or years of Hogwarts history. And for those of you wondering about my other stories like The New DADA Professor or Bring A Muggle To School Day, be patient, I'm under a lot of stress regarding high school and numerous things that have no business being on the internet. I will upload irregularly, but I will get it uploaded, I promise. **

The year was 993. Hogwarts's first year as a school. Rowena Ravenclaw had proudly declared that on this day, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was officially running and students were accepted to come and learn.

The Sorting Hat was a new creature. Fresh, pristine, not worn or torn, not yet. He was excited to be sorting children. He had been instructed by all four founders on the details of all four houses, down to the last minute expectations. He was determined to get it right.

There it was, the unveiling. He sat on a stool. Hundreds of young faces peered at him nervously. He almost grinned in anticipation.

The first student was a strong young lad named Geoffrey Belby. He thrust the hat on his head. The hat looked into his mind, into his heart, and into his soul.

Belby was slightly scared, but was determined to do his best. He had a sister, Violet, his twin, who was scared as well, but he had consoled her and said not to fear school. He had a strong heart. The hat didn't need to think twice before calling out the first House name to have a child, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Godric stood up and clapped. Everybody else followed, even Salazar, though he was slightly grouchy.

The rest of the students passed quickly. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, etcetera. The hat never failed, and each student was Sorted without a stumble and without a thought.

It wasn't until 1009 that the first Hatstall made the Sorting Hat question his judgement. A girl. A petit, charming blonde, who gently placed the hat on her head and sat daintily on the stool.

The hat gazed into her and saw many different things. "Oh, curious, curious. What is this? Hm-hm, I see..."

The child, a miss Prudence Chestnut, chewed her lip nervously. "What, what?" She whispered, alarmed.

The hat debated for five and a half minutes between two houses, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The girl was very scared. Was the hat thinking she wasn't magical? Was she going to be sent home? Her mother had been so proud, she couldn't go home so soon! Prudence started tearing up, finally prompting the hat to sort her into Hufflepuff. She relaxed and tossed the hat off, racing to safety among the badgers.

She was the first, but not the last.

The Sorting Hat never forgot a student. In all of his years sorting, he remembered each and every one. But the Hatstalls are always foremost in his mind. These are the Hat's students.


	2. Chapter 1- Amadeus Yarrow

**Here's the next chapter, I hope you guys like it! These one-shots are really short, so they're easier to write. I'm predicting I'll have this story uploaded quicker and more often than my others, so that's something to be happy about. Right? Right. Okay then, DFTBA everybody. Blair out.**

It was 1087. One thousand, two hundred and thirty-four students were sitting in the Great Hall. There were almost two hundred new first years to be Sorted, and the Sorting Hat was getting to work.  
Almost at the end, a sprightly boy of eleven, Amadeus Yarrow, glared slightly at the Hat before sighing and putting it on. The Hat's cloth almost covered his eyes, his head was so small. The Hat snickered at his indignant jolt when it first spoke.

"Yarrow, Yarrow. Where to put you, I wonder? A Gryffindor? A Hufflepuff?" The Hat mused.

Amadeus didn't say anything, only scowled, willing the Hat to make a decision.

He was a bad-tempered sort, wasn't he? The Hat thought to himself. But, he had a desire to learn and to go to a position of importance. Slytherin? But he's very intelligent, so perhaps Ravenclaw would more suit him.

"Well, perhaps I'll just Sort you to Hufflepuff and you can make your way in there." It taunted.

Amadeus hunched on the stool, clamping his mouth firmly shut. He didn't know what the barmy old rag was doing, but it was taking a long time and he wanted to get down. The Hall was giving him curious looks, as the four minute mark passed and he was still stuck.

The Hat muttered to itself. "He's clever... Slytherin. But he's more intelligent than sly, Ravenclaw. But he's ambitious, Slytherin." Finally, he asked the boy himself. "What do you think, Yarrow? Are you a snake, or are you an eagle?"

Amadeus thought. He whispered, "Eagles are stupid."

The Hat chuckled. "SLYTHERIN!"


	3. Chapter 2- Jenny Kippers

**Please forgive me for not uploading, but you may have read my bio and seen that my mom took my laptop. I actually only stole it back for a few minutes, so this could be the only update for another while. But hey! Progress! So DFTBA. And pleasebepatientwithmeohgodI'msosorry. Blair out.**

Only twenty years after Amadeus Yarrow, the Hat encountered his next puzzle. This student was an enigma, certainly, and wouldn't you know, she had the nerve to tell the Hat exactly where she would be placed!

"I'm going to be a Gryffindor." She announced to the Hat as she wore it. "So please just call out the House or whatever you do so that I can go."

The Hat would have snorted if it could. "And who are you to tell me how to do my job? I don't believe you are a Gryffindor, why are you so set on it?"

She had set her lip and said, "My sister's a Gryffindor and I should be, too."

The Hat recalled another student by the name of Kippers, an Aleksandra. Indeed, she was a Gryffindor. He hadn't needed even ten seconds to see that. But Jenny, he wondered if she had the heart to be a lion.

Jenny fiddled with her robes while the Hat perused her mind. "Are you going to put me in Gryffindor?" She asked nervously.

"No... I think not." The Hat said. "You are not strong, though you do have a great attachment to your sister."

"Of course, she practically raised me." Jenny pouted. "I want to be just like her."

The Hat knew that Gryffindor would not suit Jenny at all, though he did feel sorry that he would have to separate the two siblings. But at last he knew where to put her.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Jenny sighed, dismayed, but took off the Hat and trudged to her House table. The Hat had taken four minutes with her.


End file.
